Railroad tie puller



March 20, 1951 E. c. JOHNSON RAILROAD TIE FULLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledApril 1, 1949 I n z 'entor Ed 0.- Johnson By WWW 6 March 20, 1951 E. c.JOHNSON RAILROAD TIE FULLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 1, 1949 II A INW I W WM I h h mm 7. Hh m in rel/tor Ea 6. Johnson Patented Mar. 20,1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILROAD TIE PULLER Ed 0. Johnson,Nunn, Colo.

Application April 1, 1949, Serial No. 85,003

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus forremoving railroad ties and the primary object of the present inventionis to provide a device including a pair of tie removing tongs andembodying novel and. improved means, operated by a single person, foractuating the tongs to remove a tie in a convenient manner withoutdisturbing the bed supporting the tie to any appreciable extent.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide arailroad tie puller including a platform adapted to extend between apair of rails and means for retaining the platform relative to therails. I

A further object of the present invention is to provide a railroad tiepuller including a tie gripping member having a pair of pivotallyconnected members that will bite into opposite faces of a tie.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a railroadtie remover that is simple and practical in construction, strong andreliable in use, neat and attractive in appearance, small and compact instructure, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise welladapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein likenumerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 isan end view of the present invention taken substantially onthe direction of arrow numbered 1 in Figure 3;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially onthe plane of section line 2-2 of Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the present invention;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the tongs used in conjunction with thepresent invention and showing the manner in which the tongs areconnected to the operating lever; and,

Figure 5 is a side elevational View of the present invention in use andshowing in dotted lines the position of the actuating means when a tiehas been removed.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral l represents a substantially rectangular andpreferably wooden platform, generally, and including a pair of spacedbeams [2 to which there is fixed a plurality of 2 juxtaposed planks orcross slats l4. Extensions or arms I6 and I8 project outwardly from theplatform "3, at one end, and are preferably integrally formed with thebeams l2.

A pair of crossed members 26 and 22 are terminally secured to theextensions l6 and H3 and form a means for joining and bracing the saidextensions.

A pair of bearing straps or slides 24 and 26 extend transversely betweenthe beams l2 and are provided with upstanding ends that are secured tothe beams 12. The straps 24 and 26 are spaced parallel to each other andslide upon the upper surfaces of a pair of rails 28 and 30.

A pair of back to back angle iron members 32 and 34 extend transverselybetween the beams I2 and are secured to the beams I2 adjacent the strap26 to cooperate with the said strap 26 in defining a channel thatreceives the rail 30.

A further angle iron member (or a pair of angle iron members) 36 issecured to the beam l2 adjacent the strap '24 and bears against the rail28.

It is observed that the angle iron members retain the platform l0relative to the rails 28 and 30 so that the platform can move or slidelongitudinally of the rails but prevent lateral movement of the platformrelative to the rails.

A suitable pair of hand grips 38 are secured to the platform I!) at oneend, and a further pair of suitable hand grips 40 are mounted on theouter ends of the extensions 16 and 18 to permit the instant structureto be conveniently handled or carried by two men.

A pair of eyes 42 and 44 are secured to one ofthe beams l2 and swingablyengage the eye ends 46 and 43 of a pair of handles 50 and 52. A suitablespring clip or retainer channel 54 is secured to one of the beams 12,between the eyes 42 and 44, will receive and hold the handles 50 and 52relative to the platform when the said handles are not in use for movingthe platform longitudinally upon the rails 28 and 30.

An elongated channel member 56 is secured to the outer side face of theextension l8 and its outer end is bifurcated to receive an operatinglever 58. The lever 58 is pivoted, as at 6!], adjacent its lower end 62to the channel member 56 and the upper end 64 of the lever 58 is pivotedThe members 68 and 18 function as an actuating means for the lever 58,and therefore, the member 18 is pivoted to the pitmans or links 66.

A hand grip or extension 14 is provided at the upper portion of themember 68 so that the members 68 and 10 as well as the lever 58 may beswung simultaneously in a vertical plane by an operator grasping theextension 14.

Means is provided for gripping a tie T6 and this means comprises a pairof tongs designated generally by the numeral 18. The tongs 18 include apair of arcuate gripping members 88 and 82 having pointed ends 84 and86- and relatively straight and flat shank portions 88 and 98.

The inner ends of the shank portions 88 and 98 are pivoted together, asat 82, and the outer ends of the shank portions 88 and 98 are pivoted toa pair of links 94 and 96.

A coil spring or resilient member 98 is terminally secured to the outerends of the shank portions 88 and 98 and retains the pointed ends 84 and85 spread relative to each other as shown in Figure 4.

Pivoted on a pin I89, that pivotally connects the outer ends of thelinks 94 and 96, is the eye end of a swivel member or connecting linkI82. The link I02 is secured to a pair of plates I04 that projectlaterally from the lower end 62 of the lever 58.

In practical use of the present invention, the platform is moved uponthe rails 28 and 38 until it approaches a tie that is to be removed. Themembers 88, T8 and 58 are then raised so that the members 80 and 82 willbite into opposite side faces of the tie 16. By then forcing the member68 downwardly, the members 68 and 10 as well as the lever 58 will beforced downwardly, to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5, andthe tongs 18 will move outwardly to pull the tie 16 from the rails 28and 30. It being noted that the spikes securing the rail to the ties arepreviously removed.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of thedevice will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A moredetailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shownand described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same issusceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of theinvention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A railroad tie puller comprising a platform, means carried by theplatform for engaging a pair of rails, a tong operating lever mounted onthe platform for pivotal movement, a pair of tongs disposed beneath theplatform, a swivel connecting the tongs to the operating lever, andmeans secured to the platform for actuating said operating lever to pulla tie from the rails on which the platform is supported.

2. A railroad tie puller comprising a platform, a pair of armsprojecting outwardly from the platform, means connecting and bracing thearms, means carried by the platform for engaging a pair of rails, anoperating lever pivoted to one of said arms for vertical swingingmovement, a pair of tong disposed beneath the platform and adapted togrip a tie, means connecting the tongs to the lever, and means foractuating said lever, said first-mentioned means including a pair ofcrossed members terminally secured to said arms, said means foractuating said lever including a pair of members pivoted to one of saidarms adjacent said lever, a pitman between said pair of members, and afurther pitman between one of said members and said lever,

3. A railroad tie puller comprising a platform, a pair of armsprojecting outwardly from the platform, means connecting and bracing thearms, means carried by the platform for engaging a pair of rails, anoperating lever pivoted to one of said arms for vertical swingingmovement, a pair of arcuate gripping members having shank portions, saidshank portions having inner and outer ends, means pivotally joining theinner ends of said shank portions, spring means joining the outer endsof said shank portions and urging said gripping members spaced relativeto each other, means connecting the shank portions to the lever, andmeans for actuating said lever, said means for actuating said leverincluding a pair of elongated members pivoted to one of said arms, apitman joining said elongated members, and a further pitman joining oneof said elongated members and said lever.

ED C. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Ruggeri Apr. 2'7, 1943Number

